mkgarrison5

hey guys got a 02 4x4 tacoma 3.4 with 78k miles and i have never put anything but fuel in the tank.. i have heard that fuel ( injector cleaner) can be bad. i run nothin but 87. every now and then it will spark nock up steep hills on road but other than that i get roughly 19mpg give or take. i drive over 25k miles a year and i have to have this thing to last lol.. any tips?? thanks guys

mike

midiwall

There are two popular threads on here talking about SeaFoam... Most of us swear by it:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123/seafoam-verdict-69490/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123/seafoam-injector-intake-cleaner-good-stuff-64836/

Past that... Do you have any engine mods?


btw, welcome to YotaTech - don't forget the SEARCH button.

mkgarrison5

i have read about seafoam but i have also read about cel lights going off and burning plugs also.... couldnt i just stick with an over the counter injector cleaner or bk's 44? thanks for the reply btw

j944

I use Chevron Techron from Walmart on every oil change.
I dont know if its doing anything but it makes feel better.

X-AWDriver

I use BG44K once a year and the tops of my psitons are carbon free. Seafoam is great for a neglected engine but if you've always used a good FI cleaner most of it's life you'll be ok.

I raced a '93 Eclipse for 8 years (from 22k miles) and only used BGs44k and tore the engine down at 115k and it was surprisingly pretty clean for that many miles.

mkgarrison5

i am assuming my engine is not neglected. for one its on the highway most of the time and i avg around 19mpg and have since i owned it at 52k miles and i have 79k miles now. no skips, bad idles or anything. i have put like stp fuel injector cleaner in it once or twice but thats it.. i dont stump jump it at all either. its very well taken care of...

nrgetic99

Great advice in this thread.

My personal recommendations :

1. Buy a known brand FI cleaner. (Chevron, STP, Pennzoil etc)
2. For your first treatment, use two to three times the recommended treat rate with a full tank of gas. Do not use on an empty tank.
3. Use regular treat every tank of gas for the next 4 or 5 tanks
4. Use regular treat every oil change with a full tank of gas.

I highly recommend changing the fuel filter after the first 4 or 5 tanks if you have not done so before. The affects of this exact approach on my much loved 93 SR5 with 175K were dramatic to say the least.

If you like the STP products, use the SILVER bottle which is a little more expensive but has a far higher additive concentration. In the end, it pays off.

David

X-AWDriver

Instead of using the under $10 FI cleaners just use one can of BG44k which is about $20 a can but is stronger than any of the cheap stuff and works very well with one use.

Beartracker

I vote for the Tech tron. It's not cheap and it works better than Sea foam in my experience. Buy the large container and ad it to about 3/4 of a tank and run the hell out of your vehicle. It will clean the intakes out like new.
Replace the gas filter and clean the MF and throttle body while your at it, Your engine will love you for it.

nrgetic99

Thats a pretty broad generalization.

As far as off brand stuff, probably true. As far as STP Silver, not true.

MTL_4runner

Never heard of "STP silver" before.

BG44K is an excellent fuel injection service used in many garages and dealers. Seafoam, GM top engine cleaner and other top end cleaners are also very effective at carbon deposit removal. Techtron is also very good, but not quite on the same level with the others mentioned above. As with any of these, you can have issues if you don't run it through in a tank of gas prior to running it full strength either via a vacuum line or in the case of BG44k, via the fuel injector rail.

nrgetic99

Just the STP in a SILVER bottle.

Excellent point about a BG system flush. I personally witnessed a newish but high mileage (150k plus) Escort go from 15 mp to 28 mpg with a new fuel filter and a BG system flush connected to the fuel rail.

My point was additives treated into the tank are give or take, the same concentration of actual performance additives dissolved in some kind of carrier.

David

MTL_4runner

David, you're probably going to kill me for asking, but since you are a wealth of info on additives of all kinds, maybe you could do something for us on fuel additives too? (in addition to the Dextron writeup)

snwbdr

FYI- Chevron gas has techron in it.....around here, a container of techron from autozone or wherever runs around $10.....chevron gas here is less than ten cents more per gallon than the cheapo independent stations......10 cents x 18 gallon tank (02 taco 4x4) is $1.80 more than a normal tank....just something to think about.....

jjrgr21

costco has a 4 pack of tech-ron for $11

mkgarrison5

interesting stuff

Nic

As already suggested, BG44k

I used it skeptically and discovered it actually works. A bit pricey per can but worth it.

CJM

I BG44K used it too and love the stuff!

mkgarrison5

well i just got some seafoam yesterday and ill do the treatment this weekend and change the plugs and filter next weekend. ill see if it works or not lol..

MTL_4runner

Ditto, I get all my Techtron at Costco in the states......I thought only the high-test has Techtron at the Pump.